MIRPURKHAS: A woman and her young son were killed when 11,000kV high-tension cables fell on thatched houses and caused a big fire near Jarwary Shak within the limits of the Satellite Town police station on Monday evening.

Reports from the area suggested that Haneefa Shaikh, 55, and her son, Mohammad Rafiq, 15, were passing by the rear side of Musarrat Hall in the area when high-tension cables fell on the ground all of a sudden.

Sparks from the live wires caused a fire in dry grass and spread swiftly to nearby cluster of thatched houses.

The victims were purportedly electrocuted and then trapped in flames. Four goats were also burnt alive.

Protesting villagers hold Hesco responsible for deaths, subsequent fire

Residents of the settlement immediately started their efforts to extinguish the fire and some of them managed to reach the woman and her son, who were in a critical condition.

The rescuers tried to rush them to a hospital but both of them died on the way.

In the meantime, fire tenders arrived and started efforts to control the fire. Firefighters were busy completing their task when the late reports came in.

A large number of affected villagers gathered at the nearby section of Mirwah road and held a protest demonstration to condemn the Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco), alleging that their inefficiency and poor performance had put lives of hundreds of people at high risk.

They held Hesco responsible for the death of two persons and several animals, as well as for the loss of people’s properties, including cash, valuables, household articles, grain stocks and personal belongings.

The bodies were handed over to the heirs after a post-mortem examination.

Published in Dawn, May 31st, 2022